Customer Reviews

Philosophy: The Power Of Ideas

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I'm a trained scientist who has dabbled in philosophical readings all my life. I picked this book up some years ago to aid me in my own philosophical study. FROM A STUDENT'S PERSPECTIVE, it is the best general introduction to philosophy I've ever come across (and I've looked at dozens). It is well organized, which is always desired by the introductory student, and is very readable, which is desired by anyone. The writing also has a touch of irony and wit, which I enjoy greatly. I must say that the several chapters on Metaphysics certainly demystified that topic for me. (Though I HEAVILY 'felt' much favored toward the Russell Analytical camp from the "get-go". Continental philosophy seems just akin to refuse.)

I strongly recommend this book.

This book is really amazing as it presents the most important philoshophers throughout history (from ancient times to present day) in a coprehensive way. I especially enjoyed the easy language, the illustrations and of course the content that included the major points each philosopher emphasized on.

As a student, I was actually taught the material and although I had no interest in Philosophy until now, it managed to intrigue my curiocity and I have now picked up several other PH books. It is just for those starting in philosophy however, so if you are looking for in-depth analysis you should be looking somewhere else.

This book is the Cadillac of introductory textbooks, the finest text of its kind. The depth and breadth of the authors' approach is unparalled.
No better textbook for "intro. to phil." courses can be found in the English language. I can't wait until the next ed. comes out. Even if I did not use this book, I would read it myself, for fun.
Superb.

I used an earlier edition of this textbook to study for my comprehensive final exams for the completion of my M.A. in Philosophy. Everything I needed to know was in this textbook. This is an excellent comprehensive textbook, covering all of the major areas of philosophy.

CONS:

I like to teach philosophy in one of two ways. Sometimes I like to approach the subject topically. This allows the student to grasp the overall concepts. This is "seeing the forest". Sometimes I like to teach historically, moving slowly through the different philosophers, and allowing the student to enter into the stream of thought. This is "seeing the trees". But I don't like combining these methods into a topical/historical approach. This text combines the approaches in a way I feel can become confusing.

This text is broken into 4 parts. Part 1 is "Metaphysics and Epistemology". Part 3 is "Philosophy of Religion, Reason and Faith". I like to add the discussion of God into the section on metaphysics. They just seem to go together.

Section 2 is "Moral and Political Philosophy". In this section ethics and political philosophy are interwoven in a complex manner. I like to keep these two apart and handle them one at a time.

PROS:

Now that I've stated what I don't like, let me comment on what I do like. Section 4 is a miscellaneous section containing various other subjects. This contains an excellent section on Feminist philosophy. In this section the topical/historical approach works. This section also introduces the student to Eastern philosophies and postcolonial ideas, such as liberation theology. Section 4 was my favorite section.

I also appreciated the depth of the text. This text introduces more philosophers and ideas than most texts of comparable size. The instructor may not highlight them all, but it is nice to have them at hand.

CONCL:

I agree with those who purchase the book to read at their own speed. This is an excellent self-study primer on philosophy. I also agree with those who do not care for this text in the classroom. It doesn't lend itself as well to a 15 week - class structure.

When I first bought the book I was as ususal skeptical about an 'introduction' to philosophy; expecting to get essay length descriptions of ancient philosophies for my money. But I was pleasantly surprised to find the book maintaining a fine balance between including most of the well-known philosophers and philosophical disciplines and expounding on their philosophy.

I think it is a very good starting point for a beginner in philosophy in the sense that once you get an idea of what certain philosophers were all about, you have the option of choosing who appeals to you most.....and then go ahead from there.

Five well-deserved stars to it !

I teach and look for books that are readable, concise, accurate, and engaging. I think this book covers those areas except in its ignorance or perversion of historical Judaism and Christianity. I have an MA in history/philosphy so I know a bit about those areas. The authors have a lot of uninformed, extremely left, and malicious views about religion--esp. Christianity. They are too quick to run with some of the bad moments or possibilites of religion and never point out the overwhelming good. If their blindness and falacious statements and attacks were expunged from this work, then they'd have a solid work worth teaching to kids. Instead, they have historical revisionism and lies. If you read or teach this, purchase Nash's "Life's Ultimate Questions" or Peter Kreefts lectures/books for more honesty and balance.

This book is not compatible with the Kindle. Seriously..... how do you have a Kindle Edition book that is not compatible with the Kindle???? I purchased this book for a class so I didn't have to drag a book or a computer around with me, but now I have to because someone thought it would be a great idea to make a Kindle Edition version of this book that's not compatible with the Kindle!! In Amazon's defense, the description does say, "Read it exclusively on our free Kindle apps for iPad, PC or Mac", but many will probably assume that's in addition to the Kindle. I am not happy with this publisher or Amazon for the misleading way this book is represented.

If you need to read this on the Kindle, be aware that it won't work, and weight your other options.

I enjoyed the context of the book and found it to be very informational. I would have liked to have found a summery at the end of each chapter. I would also have preferred that the key words were defined at the end of each chapter. The philosphers described in each chapter had their ideas clearly defined at the end of each chapter which I found to be very helpful. Overall good philosophical information and history, just a little more summary and definition would have been helpful to a new philosophical student such as myself.

Moore and Bruder have, in my view, provided an excellent philosophical resource. The 3rd and 4th editions have proved invaluable in my work, both as a student and an instructor. I have no doubt that the 5th edition equals its predecessors and would readily adopt it as the required text in any Introductory Philosophy course.